As the west
bound Indian-Pacific pulled up at the
station all was in readiness for the final
act of BCA's long involvement with Cook on
the Nullarbor Plain. It was 11.00am on
Wednesday 3rd October, 2001.
Preparations were well in place for the
unveiling and dedication of a plaque on the
site of the once Bishop Kirkby Memorial
Hospital. Hopefully a good number of
disembarking passengers for the 20 minute
stop over would wander up to the hospital
site and make a reasonable crowd for the
proceedings.
The
hospital had been decommissioned in 1998 when
the railway township was scaled down in
operations. A local medical service then
became excess to needs, with all but a couple
of town caretakers moving on. After disposing
of the hospital equipment, the National BCA
Council decided there should be one last act
of closure. The hospital site was to be
marked so that future generations could know
something of God's provision of the more than
70 BCA supported staff who had faithfully
served at Cook over the years.
This
all came to fruition with the mounting of a
plaque containing the following words :
On
this site stood the Bishop Kirkby
Memorial Hospital, built and operated by
the Bush Church Aid Society of the
Anglican Church of Australia. BCA was
established to win 'Australia for Christ'
and the Rev'd S.J. Kirkby was the first
Organising Missioner serving from 1920 to
1932.
From
18 September 1937 until decommissioned on
14 March 1998, the Hospital served the
people of the Trans-Line. During the
period of 1938 to 1968, the Bush Church
Aid Society's Flying Medical Service
based at Ceduna, provided a back up
service to the Cook Hospital. In latter
years the Royal Flying Doctor Service
fulfilled this role until the township of
Cook closed.
Despite
isolation and difficult living
conditions, medical staff over the years
have shown Christ's redeeming love by
providing holistic care to all in need.
This devoted Christian service has been
greatly appreciated by railway families
and train travellers alike. With the
closure of the Hospital, the same spirit
of faith and care will continue in the
form of the Bishop Kirkby Memorial
Foundation, established to further
support Christian medical work among the
people of remote and rural Australia.
A
team of concerned Christians from Sydney, as
part of a 4-wheel drive tour in SA,
volunteered to erect the plinth in readiness
for the dedication ceremony. Passengers
travelling on the train on the day were
circulated beforehand with literature
explaining the history of Cook, both the
railway town and the hospital. Clem Kirkby,
82 year old son of Bishop S. J. Kirkby after
whom the Cook hospital was named, and his
daughter Jennifer, who traveled out to Cook
by train, were ideal ambassadors for BCA
among the passengers.
As a
small, but interested crown of train
travellers and BCA supporters gathered in the
hot wind at the site of the still standing
shell of a hospital, the brief dedication
service began. The National Director, the
Rev'd Canon Brian Roberts spoke of BCA's
support of the hospital over the years. Clem
Kirkby spoke movingly about his father. The
Rev'd Bob George, one time SA Regional
Officer, read Psalm 100 and the Right Rev'd
Garry Weatherill, Bishop of Willochra
Diocese, dedicated the plaque. A lot was
packed into the 20 minute ceremony as God's
faithfulness was duly honoured and praised,
the dedication of former BCA staff was
acknowledged, and a new era for BCA's medical
ministry was signalled. When the siren
sounded for passengers to board the train,
there was a frantic scurry of activity. No
train traveller wanted to contemplate for a
second the possibility of being stranded in
Cook, and so the 'rent-a-crowd' for the
occasion quickly reboarded the train for
their journey west.
Later
in the afternoon as those of us who were left
drove out of town, there was a tinge of
sadness as we contemplated that an era in the
life of BCA had finally ceased. As one door
closes, it seems God is quick to provide the
Society with new challenges. Even now support
for a new medical ministry amongst Aboriginal
people in Darwin is being finalised by BCA. Know
that the Lord he is God: it is he who had
made us and we are his; we are his people and
the sheep of his pasture, give thanks to him,
and bless his holy name (Psalm 100:2,3b).